The Rosario
by Full Metal Celt
Summary: In order to fulfill the dream of his ancestors and end the strife between humans and youkai, Aono Tsukune enlists in the World Navy. By gaining the authority of an admiral, Tsukune hopes to unite the two races in peace. However, his plan goes awry when a twist of fate leads to his capture by the Red Eye pirates, led by the fearsome Captain Akashiya. AU, loosely based on the manga.
1. Dawn

Greetings once again! For those who do not know me, I am Full Metal Celt (or FMC or Celt for short, I don't mind) back with another fanfic for Rosario+Vampire. Like "Who Dares Wins", this story would never have seen the light of day without the co-operation and support of my friend Cal, who inspired the idea for the story by introducing me to a band called Alestorm.

Like "Who Dares Wins", Cal also contributed a lot to this story, and fixed the parts that I wrote so that they didn't make the fic look like it was written by a twelve year old. Unlike our other story, "The Rosario" will be less intense and violent, but there will still be a lot of action and drama as Tsukune struggles to survive on the high seas in the company of monsters, pirates and a fearsome captain.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, or any of the names, characters, locations and organizations which feature in the manga. This is a fan-made, non-profit work of fiction based on Akihisa Ikeda's fantastic manga, which I urge all of you to buy and enjoy when it becomes available in your country. Any resemblance the content of this story shares with real events or people is a coincidence.**

**********Chapter 1 - Dawn  
**

* * *

**Kyota Naval Academy**

**Nihon**

"Next!"

Everyone shuffled forward a few paces as the next student in line stepped up to the table in the centre of the gymnasium. The bored lieutenant seated at the table brusquely asked for his name and serial number, and after the youth had recited it the lieutenant scored something off his list and searched the open filing case beside him for the appropriate documentation. He handed the young man the paper, briefly summarized his assignment and dismissed him by calling for the next graduate to step forward.

Tsukune had been waiting in line for nearly ten minutes, and there was still many students behind him. Theirs was the largest batch of commissioned officer cadets the Kyota Naval Academy had ever produced, but as Instructor Shiki was so fond of reminding them, their training regime was far softer than that of previous generations. The majority of their lessons were theoretical studies and classroom-based instruction, with the exception of Physical Education and Weapons Drill, and Shiki often told his students that they were in for a rude awakening when they eventually encountered an enemy on the open sea.

"No one ever slew a monster or fended off a pirate raid by reading books," he remarked. "Half of you won't last more than one tour, I reckon. The other half might, if you're lucky, but none of you have what it takes to make it to the top. To think that one of you might even be responsible for a warship someday..."

Although he was still residing at the academy, Tsukune had officially graduated two days ago, and he had already put Shiki behind him. He no longer had to endure the old man's spiteful lectures about how incompetent he was, or have his confidence shaken regularly by sharp criticism and hard slaps to the back of his head. After two years of suffering under Shiki's harsh regime, Tsukune was moments away from freedom. As soon as he had his Assignment Papers...

"Pirate or youkai?"

"Huh?" Tsukune glanced up.

"Pirate or youkai," repeated Junpei, standing one place ahead Tsukune. "Which would you prefer to fight?"

"Youkai," answered Yoshida. He stood behind Tsukune, lean and handsome, and was by far the most capable student in their grade. "Pirates are just human. If you beat enough of them, you can earn a good reputation, but I heard that to move up the ranks you have to kill a lot of monsters. They say that you've got to kill a hundred before they'll consider you to be a ship captain."

"Really? I was told you just had to collect the bounties for a dozen notorious pirates. Is it monster heads they prize now?"

"Apparently. I'm going to kill as many as I can when I get the chance. Maybe when I have my own ship I'll pull some strings and let you two to come and serve on it."

"Screw that. By then I'll be a commodore. Maybe your little boat can be part of my fleet," said Junpei. "How about you, Aono? I'll need a right-hand man to help me manage my mighty fleet."

"We'll see," replied Tsukune. His mind was preoccupied, trying to work out how much of a handicap his poor results from the final exams would prove to be.

Yoshida shook his head. "Tsukune is going to be an admiral like his old man, aren't you? Will you remember us little people when you join the top brass?"

"What? An admiral?" echoed Junpei. "You're kind of batting out of your league there, don't you think?"

"Anyone can be an admiral. They just have to work hard and show commitment," said Tsukune.

"Yeah, and you can catch mermaids by putting something sparkly on a fishing hook," said Junpei. He shook his head. "Admirals get chosen on the whims of the top brass, not by breaking their backs with hard work. Anyone who tells you otherwise is stupid. I didn't think you were naive enough to believe that sort of stuff, Aono."

Tsukune bit back a retort. His maternal grandfather had been an admiral in the Nihon Division of the World Navy, and it had been he who assured Tsukune that promotion to such a respectable position was based on merit. Ojiisan had been a hero from the Old Era, where pirates had openly waged war against the authorities and laid waste to entire coastlines. His tales and accounts of great battles against men and monsters alike had inspired Tsukune to enroll in the Kyota Naval Academy, with the encouragement of his parents and the approval of his other, more dominant grandfather.

At last, Junpei was called forward. Tsukune was now at the front of the line, and he began to feel excited. This was it. Once he was given his Assignment Papers, he would officially be a serviceman in the World Navy. A commissioned officer, a man of rank. He hoped that he would be assigned to a good ship, one that he could earn a reputation on and use as a foothold to advance his career. Despite his unimpressive grades, Tsukune hoped to follow his grandfather's example and become an admiral, a position he could use to make the age-old dream of his forebears a reality.

"Next!"

Tsukune stepped forward, noting the bemused look on Junpei's face as he moved aside. The lieutenant sitting behind the desk wore a vacant and disinterested expression as he scribbled on the side of his list to coax more ink out of his dying pen.

"Name?" he asked flatly without looking up.

"Aono Tsukune."

"Serial?"

"Two-eight-seven-nine."

The lieutenant turned in his chair and flicked through the filing case in search of Tsukune's papers. After a few moments he found them and drew them out, and glanced at what was written on them. He hesitated and re-read the document properly, a slightly bewildered expression on his face. It took him more than one read to absorb the information, but he finally dismissed whatever had perplexed him as something that was none of his concern.

"You're in luck, young man," he remarked as he handed Tsukune his Assignment Papers. "It looks like you've caught someone's interest. Cadet Aono, you are hereby raised to the rank of ensign, and have been commissioned to serve aboard the warship _Masamune_. Report to the captain at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. Next!"

Tsukune shuffled to the side, half stunned and half engrossed in his Assignment Papers. He too had to read the document several times before it sank in. The _Masamune_. The warship that had been instrumental in over a dozen famous Navy victories against the armadas of the former Pirate Lords. The warship that had almost been destroyed when it used its bulk to protect the Nihonese emperor's personal yacht when it came under attack from a kraken. The _Masamune_ was a venerable ship, and was one of the finest in the Nihon Division of the Navy. To be given a commission on such a vessel was a great honour.

_It's a mistake_, he realised. Tsukune held two documents in his hands; one stating that his commission was aboard the warship _Masamune_, the other stating that it was aboard the patrol boat _Nojima_. The two had been stapled together, the former on top of the latter, which bore a stamp in vivid red ink which read "VOID". Surely that was meant for the _Masamune_ assignment? Yes, someone must have realized that an inexperienced cadet like Aono Tsukune - who excelled at nothing and rarely scored above average in any given test or assessment - would be unsuited for service aboard a ship as magnificent as the legendary _Masamune_. And then they too made a mistake by voiding the wrong document.

Aono Tsukune was not destined to begin an exciting career aboard the _Masamune_ after all. He was destined to spend his days patrolling coastlines and policing the waters around minor fishing villages aboard the _Nojima_, wherever that was stationed.

It was then Tsukune noticed the hand-written footnote scrawled on the _Masamune_ assignment. It read: "_Ensign re-assigned __at request of T.M., Director, Special Operations. Approved by Ichinose Ryuga, Fleet Admiral, Nihon Division._"

He was still puzzling over the meaning of the footnote when Yoshida joined him.

"Have you ever heard of the _Shokaku_?" he asked Tsukune, who shook his head. "Me neither. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I was hoping for a really good assignment, you know? Meh, maybe the Shokaku won't be so bad. It's a warship, that's something at least. I'll be getting my hands dirty in no time. So, where'd they decide to put you?"

"Well, I think there's been a mistake, because this is..."

Yoshida tugged the Assignment Papers from his hand and skimmed through the wording on the first page. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "The _Masamune_? _The Masamune_? What the hell? I've been working my ass off to get straight A's for the past three years, and they give away a first-class commission like this to _you_?"

"Jeez, you too, Yosh?" asked Junpei, wandering over to where they stood. "I told you, the guys wearing the pants of power decide stuff randomly. Hard work never pays off in that kind of system, so it's best to just go with the flow. But I've got to admit the _Masamune_ is one hell of a good placement for a rookie. Do you think your grandfather's legend had something to do with the decision?"

"Maybe. I didn't really think about that," admitted Tsukune. _Yes, that was it_.

Yoshida handed the document back to Tsukune. "Well, good for you, Tsukune. I'm sure you won't disappoint the _Masamune_'s captain. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pack my things. The _Shokaku_ sets sail in three hours. I don't know when we'll see each other again, but good luck. I'll see you guys later."

"I'm going to go pack too," said Junpei. "My boat sets out in the evening. I'll see you around, Aono. Good luck!"

Tsukune watched Junpei rush off after Yoshida. The two of them had been his closest friends since the day he had enrolled in the academy, and after two years of studying together they had parted with him as if it was no big deal. Aono Tsukune had never had much experience with friendship, but even he knew enough to know that it wasn't something cast aside so lightly. He wasn't hurt by the casual termination of their companionship. He was just disappointed that it didn't seem to mean much to them.

Still dazed from the significance of his assignment, Tsukune wandered through the halls of the academy in search of a telephone. There were three in the lobby of the main building, though one had been half-dismantled for maintenance and another was being used by a junior student. Tsukune approached the available unit and picked up the handset, and twirled the rotary dial several times to dial the number designated to the telephone in the Aono Household. It took a short time for the call to connect; the Aono Household was in the capital, Tokyoto, over two hundred miles east of Kyota, which meant that the signal had to pass through hundreds of kilometers of land-line.

"Aono residence," greeted a dry, formal voice when the call finally connected.

"Hello. It's Aono Tsukune. I'd like to speak with my mother please."

"One moment." There was a long pause as the serving man had a hushed discussion with someone else in the room. "Pardon me, young master. Kasumi-sama is visiting a hot spring in the mountains with Kyouko-ojou, and will not return until the end of the week."

"Is my father with them?" asked Tsukune.

"He is at work, young master. Shall I take a message?"

"No, it's fine. Could you tell them I called?"

"I will, young master," promised the servant.

Disappointed that he could not speak to his family before his departure, Tsukune made his way back to his bedroom. It was one of many rooms in the older wing of the complex, designed to accommodate two students for the duration of their residence at the academy. However, Tsukune had Room Forty-Two all to himself; his former room-mate, Tsuda, had dropped out at the end of their first year after suffering from a nervous breakdown (the cause of which was never officially revealed, but everyone knew that Shiki's constant verbal abuse had something to do with it). Tsukune crossed over to the desk by the window and sat down, dropping his papers onto the desktop and staring at them thoughtfully.

_Maybe I was chosen for this because of Ojiisan_, he thought. _All of the Nihon Division admirals were at his funeral. Admiral Ichinose must have been one of them._

But the decision to place him on the _Masamune_ was not the admiral's - it was the Director of Special Operations who made that call. Who was he? Why did he specifically request for Tsukune's transfer? Was he an officer aboard the _Masamune_? Was this supposed to be a trial of some sort? Was someone from the Special Operations branch watching him right now? That last thought made Tsukune feel uncomfortable. Although it was mid-afternoon, he stood up and drew the curtains shut, as if that would hide him from the world. Tsukune felt uncomfortable being the centre of attention at the best of times, and the notion that someone was spying on him was disturbing.

Beside the pen-pot on the desk stood two picture frames, each displaying a monochrome image on thin card. One was a formal photograph of the Aono family, taken at the request of Father's father; a stern old man who had been the polar opposite of Ojiisan. While Kaa-san's father had been a cheerful man and an admirable character, Aono Uda was a self-centred miser who treasured his political position over the happiness of his family. When his younger son died and left Tsukune's cousin without parents, the old man had shown no grief or sorrow, and had simply instructed his remaining son to take care of the girl and ensure that she was raised to make a good bride. Since Kyouko had come of age, he had regularly attempted to strategically marry her off to the heirs of other wealthy households, but Kyouko's independent spirit and defiance of social expectations repelled most of her suitors.

Kyouko's grin was a prominent feature of the second photograph, which showed a younger Tsukune with his mother, Kyouko and Ojiisan in the well-tended gardens of Aono House. Since coming to Kyota to attend the academy at the age of sixteen, Tsukune had only been home on four occasions, and the longest he had stayed was seven days. He missed the house he had been raised in, but he missed his family even more. He wrote to them frequently, and dearly wished that he had more time to travel back to the capital to see them before he began his first tour of duty aboard the _Masamune_. Even if he wrote a letter to them now, he would be gone by the time they received it.

There were no classes for him to attend to distract his troubled mind. After the low-key graduation ceremony, senior students were no longer required to attend lectures or take part in drills, which left them in a peculiar state of limbo while they waited for their commissions to be confirmed. Tsukune considered going down to the pool, but reminiscing about his family gave him another idea. He stood up and moved over to his locker, which contained his newly-issued Navy uniform; a knee-length officer's jacket made from green cotton with white lining, a crisp white shirt with a red tie, brown breeches and a pair of new leather boots. His academy uniform was similar, but consisted of a blazer instead of a coat, and shoes instead of boots.

Leaning against the side of the locker was a sword; Kusanagi, the katana of the Edo family. Tsukune's mother had no brothers for the blade to pass to, so when Ojiisan died the sword was given to Tsukune as the sole male heir of the Edo family. Tsukune had admired the weapon since he was a child, and had often asked Ojiisan to show him how to use it. He had looked forward to the day when the sword would finally be his, but only when Kusanagi was presented to him on the day Ojiisan died did Tsukune realize how immature and naive his eagerness to own the blade was.

It was more than just a sword; it was the embodiment of an entire family's legacy, and the men who inherited it also inherited the duty to fulfill the destiny of the Edo family. None of the many heroes who had carried the sword before Tsukune had accomplished this goal, and Tsukune doubted he would succeed where they had failed. What could he do that they could not? He considered the dilemma often, but could not see a way to inspire coexistence between humans and monsters. There was far too much blood between the two races for them to live together in peace, yet this extraordinary ideal was what Tsukune's ancestors had striven to make a reality for over five hundred years. His own mother had even devoted a number of years in her youth to campaign for coexistence. Knowing this, Tsukune felt obligated to at least try and make a difference, and he felt that attaining the influence and power of an admiral would be enough to do so.

_Did you feel like this before you first set out, Ojiisan_? wondered Tsukune.

Tsukune drew Kusanagi from its sheath and cut the air in front of him experimentally. Fencing was a mandatory study for all servicemen in the World Navy, and in Nihon this was reinforced with additional instruction in the art of kendo. Tsukune was only marginally more skilled at the latter than he was at the former, but no matter how hard he tried his grade in Combat Studies never rose higher than three, the lowest pass score. He had a tendency to score a three in every subject, regardless of how much or how little effort he put into succeeding.

An hour or two going through the basic steps of kendo would not make much of a difference, but at least the discipline and focus it required would take Tsukune's mind off his worries.

* * *

**The Following Morning**

Tsukune rose at first light and dressed into his new uniform. The garments were brand new and felt a little stiff, but they would soften in time. He fastened Kusanagi's sheath to his belt and adjusted his long jacket to cover the weapon, leaving only the hilt and handle visible at his hip. On the reverse of his Assignment Papers was a list of mandatory equipment, tools and spare clothing Tsukune was expected to bring with him to the _Masamune_; these items were carefully backed into his new kitbag, along with one or two personal effects that Tsukune was sure nobody would mind him possessing. He took the photographs from the frames on his desk and tucked them into one of the inner pockets of his jacket. All his other belongings went into the trunk he had brought to the academy when he was sixteen. He would leave it behind for the stewards of the academy to handle; at the end of the week, after the last of the graduates had left, the stewards would collect all of their luggage cases and send them back to their families. They would have everything they needed at their new posts.

Shiki was bawling at the freshmen on the next floor up, rousing them from their beds as gently as a landslide would. Tsukune did not relish the thought of running into the instructor and receiving one last derogatory comment about his character or appearance, so after he was certain that all of his belongings were either in his kitbag or in his trunk, he left Room Forty-two and made his way out of the building as swiftly as he could.

The walk from the Naval Academy to Sakyo Harbour took him less than an hour, given how quiet the streets were at that time of the morning, but when Tsukune arrived he found that he was on the wrong side of the wide expanse of water; three Naval vessels were docked at the harbour, all moored on the far side of the port. Tsukune sighed in annoyance. It would take a long time to walk around to where the _Masamune_ was docked. He was expected to be there at eight o'clock, and even if he ran Tsukune doubted he would make it there on time.

"Boy," called a voice. "That uniform... are you serving in the Navy?"

Tsukune looked around. Beside a nearby jetty was a sleek steam-powered motorboat, in which stood a tall man in a dark blue uniform. Although his attention was focused on lighting a fresh cigar, Tsukune was certain that the man was the one who had called out to him. There was no one else around.

"Yes," answered Tsukune.

The man grinned and looked up. A peculiar trick of the morning light made it seem as if his eyes were glowing in the shadow of his cap.

"Looks like you're not where you ought to be," said the boatman. "Come take a seat. I'll see you across in no time."

Relieved, Tsukune thanked the man and crossed over to the jetty, and climbed into the motorboat while the boatman started the engine. It took a minute or two, but once the steam engine was up and running the boat started to move, slowly at first but gradually gathering speed as they made their way across the water. The three ships docked in the harbour seemed even more impressive the closer Tsukune got to them, and soon he was able to make out the names painted on their hulls; there was the _Nautilus_ from the Britannian Division, the _Franklin's Will_ from the Americas Division, and the _Masamune_. Two other warships from the Nihon Division had been docked at the harbour, Tsukune learned later, but they had set sail the previous evening.

Even if he had not seen the ship in textbooks and newspapers, Tsukune would have recognised the _Masamune _on sight. The sails and banners of all Navy ships bore the heraldry of the World Navy - a majestic eagle gripping lightning bolts in its talons at the centre of a gold ring - but the colours flown by each division varied. The flags flying from the masts of the _Franklin's Will_ were striped blue, red and white, and fluttered in the early morning breeze. The banner of the Britannian division was dark blue, and featured a number of smaller flags to represent the nations that formed the Britannian Commonwealth. The Nihon Division flew white flags, a colour which contrasted with the golden eagle of the Navy and the red sun of Nihon that adorned them.

"Which are you stationed aboard?" asked the boatman.

"The _Masamune_. That one," replied Tsukune, pointing. "This is the first time I've seen her. I only graduated from the Naval Academy a few days ago."

"Fresh blood, eh?" mused the boatman aloud. He exhaled a silver stream of smoke. "You had best prepare yourself, then. The ocean is vast, and it is the domain of human marauders and predatory monsters alike. Some of the former are similar to the latter in nature, while the latter disguise themselves as the former. It is often hard to distinguish the two. All that stands between these horrors and the innocent inhabitants of civilized lands are the men and women of the World Navy... yet even they are not without flaw. You will need more than training to survive, boy. You are about to step into a world where nothing is as it seems..."

Tsukune was not sure how to respond to that. Neither he nor the boatman spoke for the rest of the trip, though the noise coming from the docks compensated for their silence. There were a lot of people there, mostly men in the uniform of low-ranking Navy personnel and auxiliaries from the Marine Reserve unit stationed in Kyota, but Tsukune spotted a few civilians and private contractors contributing to the effort of preparing the docked ships for their scheduled voyages. The boatman steered his vessel towards another jetty, and the small motorboat coasted to a halt beside the wooden platform. Tsukune gathered up his kitbag and stepped out of the boat, but as he turned to pay his fare he found that the motorboat was already moving away from the jetty.

"Be careful, boy," the man called back to him, grinning.

The docks were at the heart of the bustle of activity; hundreds of people were at work here, grunting and singing and calling out to each other as they moved to and fro, each preoccupied with their own duties and performing the tasks designated to them. As Tsukune made his way through the crowd, he noted the presence of a number of ranked Naval officers amidst the commotion. There, a captain, the gold epaulettes and lining on his jacket a clear indication of his rank. The authoritative voice of a very annoyed lieutenant cut through the hubbub of the crowd as he argued with a trio of quartermasters over the distribution of medical supplies, and a Britannian man in the uniform of a Chief Mate was leading some of his men in an enthusiastic sea shanty while he supervised them.

Tsukune glanced at his pocket watch. _Eleven minutes to eight_. _I'm early._

He identified the _Masamune_ and made his way towards it, and shortly found himself standing at the bottom of one of several boarding ramps. A man wearing the rank pins of a warrant officer staggered towards him, hefting the weight of a sealed crate that sounded as if it was full of glass bottles.

"Need something?" he puffed as he set his load down on top of a nearby barrel.

"I am Ensign Aono. Is the captain around?"

"Ensign?" echoed the warrant officer. He turned and whistled to one of the other men. "Hoi, Yamasuke! Are we taking on a new officer today?"

"Yeah. The lieutenant mentioned it last night. Why?"

"This guy says he's the new ensign. Where's the captain?"

"Inspecting the guns, I think. I don't know. I'm here with you."

The warrant officer muttered something that sounded like "smart-ass" and turned back to Tsukune. "Try the gunnery deck. Someone up there will show you the way. Sir."

"Thank you," said Tsukune, leaving the warrant officer to his task and trudging up the ramp onto the deck of the _Masamune_. A seaman showed him the way to the gunnery deck, where, sure enough, the captain of the _Masamune_ was inspecting the ship's impressive arsenal of cannons. He turned as Tsukune approached and accepted his salute with a nod. He held his hand out expectantly, and Tsukune presented his Assignment Papers.

"A last minute change requested by one senior commander, and authorised by another," mused Captain Kitano. "I'll assume that it's for the best, though I was promised the most competant officer cadet from the academy. Can I expect such a quality of service from you, Ensign Aono?"

"I will do my best," promised Tsukune. He neglected to admit that his best effort would not be particularly impressive, but the captain would realise that soon enough.

"Very good. I expect no less. Chief, show the ensign to his cabin and brief him on ship standards and protocols."

"Yes sir," acknowledged the one-eyed veteran accompanying the captain. "Follow me, ensign. Follow, listen and learn."

* * *

**Noon**

The coast of Nihon was receding into the distance behind them, and the city of Kyota was now little more than a grey smudge on the far-off landscape. With the wind in her sails, the _Masamune_ was moving at high speed away from the land of Tsukune's birth, and when he had the chance Tsukune would peer over the side of the ship and look back at the coast, silently praying that his family would remain in good health while he was gone. The _Masamune_ was headed for a minor kingdom in the Veerok archipelago, where it would form the flagship of a small fleet assembling there to combat the rising number of pirates gathering in the region. The most optimistic outcome would see the _Masamune_ return to Kyota in ten months. But if things didn't go according to plan...

Chief Mate Hideki was the captain's right-hand man, and Tsukune quickly learned that nothing happened aboard the _Masamune_ without Hideki knowing about it. The man knew the layout of the ship like the back of his hand, and promised that Tsukune would become just as familiar with it over the course of their voyage. He was right; by the end of the third day of their voyage, Tsukune no longer had to ask other members of the crew where certain rooms were, or how to access other decks. By the end of the first week, he had explored the _Masamune_ in its entirety.

By the end of the second week, the novelty of being aboard the venerable warship _Masamune_ had worn off.

Tsukune's duties spared him from the brunt of the inevitable boredom, but even they became less challenging as the voyage stretched into the third week. He spent most of his time following Hideki around, making notes of the Chief Mate's comments as he went about his daily inspections. He occasionally acted as a messenger between Hideki and the captain, and every now and then Hideki would order him to monitor the trio of navigators or sit with the two men in the crow's nest atop the main mast.

"The watchful eye of an officer keeps them alert, even if it's just a rookie," explained Hideki. "They know who you answer to. The men in the nest need that sort of pressure to stop them slacking off. Twenty years ago, when I was serving on the _Nobunaga_, the ship was boarded and seized when a crew of pirates led by an ayashi caught us unaware from behind. More than a dozen good men died because the fools in the nest were paying more attention to their cards than they were to the horizon."

"Did you repel the boarders?" asked Tsukune.

Hideki shook his head. "We tried to sink the ship and deny it to the pirates, but we were overwhelmed before we could ignite the gunpowder. I spent a few months as the thrall of the vampire captain, and managed to slip away with some of the others while the vampire fought with one of her rivals. I still hear stories about her, sometimes. They never mention her by name, but I'd bet my pension that she's still out there somewhere, preying on the unwary and the helpless. Word of advice, ensign; you ever meet a vampire with gold hair and a pretty smile, _run_. Run as far as you can, across water if you have to."

Tsukune doubted that any amount of training would give him the ability to run on water, but the conversation did inspire him to take up jogging. In his free time, there was little Tsukune could do but entertain himself in his cell-like cabin or wander the decks of the _Masamune_ without purpose. His casual fitness regimen began with jogs from the bow of the ship to the stern, but after a few days he expanded the course into a full lap along the port side of the ship to the stern, then back along the starboard side. It amused some of the other crewmen to begin with, but after a while they accepted it as a common occurrence. From time to time, Tsukune would see off-duty crewmen jogging too, following a similar course to the one he had taken to running.

Hideki seemed to approve of this. "The captain's pleased. He said that this is a good sign. You're making an impression on the men, setting a good example. That's exactly the sort of thing that earns a man a promotion, when there's a position available."

There were no positions available, of course, but Tsukune was content to know that for once he had achieved something using his own initiative.

* * *

The voyage dragged on. It was a three month journey from Nihon to the Veerok archipelago, and Tsukune was beginning to wonder if there were really as many pirates at large on the ocean as people claimed there were. No ships had been sighted within ten miles of the _Masamune_ since leaving Kyota, and there were often several days between sightings of any other vessels at all. Sightings of land were almost as rare. The veteran sailors seemed unfazed by the monotony of the expanse of featureless ocean, but there were times when Tsukune felt like the rest of the world had been swallowed up by the ocean, and that there was nothing left but the _Masamune_. Some of the tropical storms that the vessel encountered during the second month certainly seemed fierce enough to have marked the apocalypse.

At the end of the first month, Lieutenant Matsuo invited Tsukune to spar with him. After winning five matches in a row, each within twenty seconds, Matsuo decided that whoever had instructed Tsukune in kendo was a terrible teacher (a fact anyone who had met Shiki could attest to), and began giving him informal lessons on basic sword kata. Under his tutelage, Tsukune quickly became adept at Iaijutsu, the art of drawing his sword and either striking his enemy or counter-attacking in the same movement. This was not enough to beat Matsuo, but the duration of their sparring sessions increased as Tsukune's skill improved, and Matsuo judged him to be more than a match for the average pirate.

In the third week of the second month of the voyage, Captain Kitano ordered the navigators to plot a course to the nearest known source of fresh water, so that the ship could re-supply. To Tsukune's surprise, it took them less than a day to find such a place; a small island inhabited by less than fifty people, who had named it after a deity their ancestors had worshiped. None of the navigators could pronounce the name properly.

Even more surprising was the captain's decision to give Tsukune command of the landing party, though whether this was another test his abilities or a sympathetic gesture to let him feel earth under his feet again, Tsukune was not sure. He did not care. When he stepped out of the rowboat in the shallows and helped drag it ashore, Tsukune nearly collapsed on his knees in the sand to embrace the ground beneath him. It felt so strange and solid after getting used to the swaying decks of the _Masamune_. Petty Officer Sukaki led the way, following an old chart the navigators kept on file to the spring of fresh water. They were not the only ones there; there was a small stand-off as a handful of other Navy servicemen mistook them for marauders and drew weapons on them, but they stood down when it became clear that both parties served the World Navy.

As chance would have it, the other men were also from the Nihon Division, serving aboard the frigate _Togusa_, anchored on the other side of the island. It did not take long for the men to begin socializing, and soon they were drinking leisurely from refilled canteens while they filled their empty water canisters from the spring.

"Where are you headed?" asked the lieutenant leading the _Togusa_'s landing party.

"We're going south, to pacify the raiders harassing the Veerok islands," replied Tsukune.

The lieutenant perked up. "South? In that case, keep an eye on the horizon. We've spent the past few months chasing the Red-eyed Queen from Kogashima to the southern seas, but we lost track of her five days ago. She could be anywhere between here and the polar region, so be careful."

"The Red-eyed Queen?" asked Tsukune, curious.

"That's the name we use for her, but there's a lot of variations. Red-eyed Angel, Red-eyed Lady, Red-eyed Bitch... it depends who you ask. She's one of the newer pirate legends, but by the way she sails you'd think she has enough experience to be an admiral. Her nakama are all youkai, they say, monsters she saved from persecution and turned against the Navy. If you believe the rumours, there are even a couple of vampires among them, but every official account and tall tale agree on one thing: the Red-eyed Queen herself is a vampire."

"The Red-eyed Queen isn't a vampire," said a seaman nearby. "At the battle of Diamond Bay, the queen and all her crew turned into mermaids and tipped one of the Britannian flagships over in the water from below_._ My brother said that his brother-in-law was there and saw the whole thing."

"Your brother doesn't have a brother-in-law. Nobody would marry a drunkard like him," pointed out one of the other seamen.

"The Red-eyed Queen _is_ a vampire. That's why they call her the Red-eyed Queen," insisted the lieutenant.

"Yeah? Then how did she capsize the Britannian flagship?"

"I heard they sank it," said another man. "The Red Eye Pirates have a pet berserker, a terrible she-devil with a magic weapon that can change at will to smash a ship's hull to kindling, or cut masts like stalks of bamboo. I heard that the Red-eyed Queen unleashed the berserker on the flagship, and the demon wrecked it all by herself."

The debate escalated, and eventually the lieutenant withdrew from it with a sigh of resignation.

"My point is, watch out for a ship with black sails decorated with a red eye," he told Tsukune. "You'll know it when you see it. The whole ship is made of dark wood, and it has a very distinctive figurehead that looks like a silver cross with a red gem at the centre. It's made of glass, they say, and the Red-eyed Queen puts a lantern in it at night, so under the cover of darkness that red glow will be the first warning that she is coming for you. Whatever you do, keep your distance. A hammering from her ship's cannons are nothing compared to the hell you will face if any of her nakama get aboard your ship."

"We'll be careful," promised Tsukune. He took a sip of water from his canteen and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Is there anything else I should know?"

The lieutenant shook his head. "Just beware of the _Rosario_."

* * *

They parted with the _Togusa_'s men on good terms, wishing each other luck and expressing their mutual hope to meet again and drink together with sake instead of spring water. It took an hour to ferry the canisters of fresh water back to the _Masamune_ and load them, and by late afternoon they were well on their way again.

The last leg of the journey was the most trying for the crew. The oddly-named island was a reliable source of fresh water, but little else, so while the _Masamune_ now had an ample supply of drinking water, the ship's stock of food was nearly depleted. Rationing became stricter, and the attitude of the men became increasingly gloomy as they went about their duties with empty stomachs. Several crewmen were given fishing rods and instructed to catch fish to bolster the ship's dwindling food supplies, but they did not catch enough to meet the demands of the crew. Tsukune stopped running his laps; unnecessary exercise would only waste the precious little amount of calories his body was being sustained with. His rank as an ensign entitled him to attend the regular meetings Captain Kitano held in his quarters, and he supported Matsuo when the lieutenant appealed to the captain to open the sealed crates containing the _Masamune_'s emergency food supplies. Both were surprised and dismayed to learn that they had already done so several days previously.

"We are running behind schedule. Had the adverse weather conditions not delayed us last month, we would be much closer to Veerok by now," explained the captain. "Our provisions were meant to last us the entire voyage, yet we are still ten days from the outermost isles of Veerok and our supplies have been stretched to their limit. We can only tighten our belts and hope that we will reach our destination before we truly begin to starve."

Tsukune tried not to think about that. When his work did not demand his attention, he thought of home, of his parents and Kyouko, of Ojiisan and the peaceful gardens he had spent his childhood playing in. He thought about how his experience of life at sea had changed him. He thought about how nice the ocean breeze was in the morning. He thought about the quality and sublime craftsmanship of Kusanagi, and the fluid elegance of the techniques Matsuo had taught him. Tsukune made an effort to think about everything but the hollow feeling of emptiness in his gut.

They were six days away from their destination when something happened that changed Aono Tsukune's life forever.

* * *

**Notes**

***** If you hadn't realised already, this story is set in a completely different world to the manga, and to the real world. It is based on the real world, borrowing names like Nihon for a country based on Japan ("Nihon" is the formal name for Japan in Japanese), Britannia for a country based on Britain, Americas for a continent based on North America, and so on. "Veerok", however, is just a word Celt came up with to name an exotic region in this AU's southern hemisphere. It doesn't correspond to any location in real life.

* To answer RightWrong's query about technology, this story is set in a completely different world from ours, so it doesn't accurately portray any period of our history. Celt leaves world building to me, but was reasonably clear that she wanted this world to feature ships with sails, firearms with magazines and basic telecommunications. So, in order to accommodate her whims, this world's level of technology will drawn on elements from the eighteenth century through to the early twentieth century. Kind of like One Piece, which I stopped reading a while ago. Never understood how snails functioned as radios.

***** Just as we have created a whole new world for this story, we've also created a fictional international organisation called the World Navy. Running the whole thing is High Command. Below them (in descending order) are the High Admirals, admirals, commodores, captains, lieutenants and, at the bottom of the ladder, ensigns. Non-commissioned ranks below this include warrant officer, petty officer and seaman.

***** We have used and will continue to use a fair bit of nautical terms in this, so here is a short explanation of certain terms that not everyone may know: "port" refers to the left side of a ship. "Starboard" refers to the right side. "Stern" refers to the back of the ship, and "bow" refers to the front. A "bowsprit" is the pole that sticks out of the front of a ship, usually above a ship's figurehead. A ship's "foredeck" (or "forecastle") is the name given to the deck at the front of the ship. "Rigging" is the network of ropes, spars and sails used to propel sailing ships (rigging also refers to rope ladders used to climb masts).

***** We also used a lot more italics in this one than our other project. The reason for that is that ship names are usually written in italics for emphasis. No idea why.

* * *

**Celt**: How did that go?

I got the idea for this when I was trying to sort out a major case of Writer's Block while working on "Who Dares Wins". I asked Cal to recommend some songs he listens to while writing (I thought that was his secret for writing so good) and one of the them was a song called "Keelhauled" by Alestorm. Go listen to it. The lyrics are a little violent but the instrumental parts of the song are really good. Especially the fiddle. That was what gave me the idea to write this. I know a lot of people reading this are going "oh no! Lots of OC and no Moka!". Chill! This is just the beginning of the story, and the OCs in this chapter are all needed to give Tsukune someone to talk to before he meets the girls.

Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter is up, so read on if you are still interested!


	2. Encounter

Here's the next chapter. The first section of it was really part of the debut chapter, but we moved it into this chapter because the first chapter was 10,000 words long. This one is longer than that but there is a lot of stuff to cover.

Not much else to say, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire, or any of the names, characters, locations and organisations which feature in the manga. This is a fan-made, non-profit work of fiction based on Akihisa Ikeda's fantastic manga, which I urge all of you to buy and enjoy when it becomes available in your country. Any resemblance the content of this story shares with real events or people is a coincidence.**

**Chapter 2 - Encounter**

* * *

**Near the Veerok Archipelago**

His pocket watch was still set to the time in Nihon, but a glance through the small porthole in his cabin told Tsukune that it was the dead of night.

He saw nothing, only the flickering reflection of lamplight on the chopping waves in a short radius around the _Masamune_. The darkness beyond was almost solid. The sky was a thick blanket of ebony clouds, completely obscuring the light of the moon and glitter of the constellations overhead. The _Masamune_'s hull creaked as Tsukune rose from his bed and pulled on his clothes. He considered leaving his sword and service pistol behind, but he had grown accustomed to their weight around his waist, and found himself buckling his weapon belt on anyway. He stepped out into the dimly-lit corridor beyond the door of his cabin, and quietly made his way past the hammock-filled holds where the rest of the men slept. Tsukune needed some air. He actually needed a good meal and fresh fruit juice to restore some of his energy, but neither of those were available, so fresh air would have to do.

He came across a lone seaman further along the corridor, bent double over a puddle of vomit. He spewed a little more as Tsukune approached, and turned groggily at the sound of footsteps behind him. Tsukune knew him. His name was Anzai.

"Are you alright, seaman?" he asked.

"Ye... I don't know, sir," mumbled Anzai. "I'm sick... I think. I haven't eaten enough food..."

_Nobody has_, thought Tsukune. _You've eaten too little, and drank too much. The last of the sake was supposed to have run out weeks ago_. The vomit on the floor was translucent and watery, as was to be expected of fluid rejected from an empty stomach, but the smell of alcohol was overpowering. Anzai clearly had a stash hidden somewhere.

Aloud, Tsukune said, "Go and see the medical officer. Wake him and ask him to give you something to settle your stomach."

"I have watch duty. I need to go. I have to take Dewa's place in the nest..."

"I'll take the watch. You need to speak to the medical officer."

He did not have to turn that into an official order; Anzai mumbled an apology and thanked Tsukune, then shuffled away to find the ship's doctor. Careful not to tread in the puddle Anzai had left on the floor, Tsukune continued on his walk to the lamp lit deck of the _Masamune_, and after taking a few minutes to allow the breeze to cool him down, Tsukune crossed to the rigging and began to climb up to the crow's nest atop the main mast. It had taken him a long time to overcome his fear of the rigging; if he fell, he would either land hard on the solid deck or plunge into the sea, both of which could lead to an early and inglorious end to his career. By now, though, he knew not to look down or linger longer than he needed to. He climbed swiftly, keeping his eye on the top of the rope ladder, and in no time he was pulling himself up into the crow's nest, a wooden bowl below the peak of the mast. Another crewman was already on guard, seated on one of two small stools with his back to the mast.

"Where the hell have you been, Anzai?" snapped Yamasuke. "Dewa's watch ended fifteen minutes a- oh, it's you, ensign. Pardon me, sir."

"Anzai's too sick to take watch," explained Tsukune. "I'm covering for him."

The other man shrugged. "That's fine. There's nothing to watch anyway, unless you can see in the dark."

He was right. An hour passed and no threats emerged from the shroud of darkness around the _Masamune_, and the only sounds that broke the silence was the hissing splash of waves breaking against the ship's bow, the creak of her hull and the squeak of lamp hooks in need of oiling. At one point the stillness of the night was disturbed by the flutter of wings and the cawing of a crow, but Tsukune could barely see the bird in the darkness, and it was gone as suddenly as it had arrived. There was a slight chill in the air; the temperature gradually lowered the further they sailed from the equatorial seas, and Tsukune was thankful for the additional layer his long coat provided. He made himself comfortable on the wooden stool facing the front of the ship and stared out into nothing, wondering if the night was as dark as this back home in Nihon.

When he first spotted the light, Tsukune thought that he had simply imagined it, until a longer look told him that he hadn't.

There was a tiny glow in the distance ahead, a pinprick of light amidst the inky darkness. Tsukune rose from his stool and leaned against the railing, peering at the light to try and make out where it was coming from. The moonless night made this a rather difficult task, but even as the light drew closer Tsukune could not discern anything of its source. There was something ominous about the light and the way it seemed to drift closer, too high and steady to be floating on the surface of the water. Even more concerning was the fact that it was heading directly towards the _Masamune_.

With a sudden, chilling start, Tsukune realised that the light was red.

_...Under the cover of darkness that red glow will be the first warning that she is coming for you_.

"The Red-eyed Queen," he murmured, horrified. He turned to Yamasuke. "Sound the alarm, we're in danger!"

To his credit, Yamasuke was quick to grasp the situation, and he did not question Tsukune's order. He tugged the cord connected to an array of wires which ran throughout the ship, and within moments the urgent clangor of half a dozen alarm bells shattered the peaceful atmosphere of the ship.

"Hostile contact! All hands to battle stations! Hostile contact! All hands to battle stations!"

As if to answer the alarm, two thunderous cannons roared in the night, followed by the shrill _woosh_ of incoming fire. The _Masamune_ shuddered as the shots struck her bow, and Tsukune felt the impact reverberate up the mast and through the soles of his boots. They were under attack. Aono Tsukune's first combat action had commenced. He had expected this, he had even looked forward to it during the more tedious periods of the voyage, but now that the moment was upon him a cold feeling of dread crept over Tsukune. Whatever confidence he imagined he would have in a situation such as this turned out to be a gross overestimation of his willpower. A mistake made at home would be easily forgiven and swiftly forgotten. A mistake at the academy would invoke Shiki's wrath or result in an embarrassing grade. A mistake in service aboard the _Masamune_ would earn a reprimand from Chief Hideki.

A mistake in battle would cost Tsukune his life, or worse, lead to the deaths of others.

Tsukune realised that he wasn't ready for this.

There were voices below. Startled, hastily-dressed crewmen were coming up onto the main deck, moving with swift efficiency to their stations. Captain Kitano appeared, just as haggard and alarmed as his men, with Hideki following at his heels. The Chief Mate began bawling orders to the men, commanding them to return fire and prepare to broadside the enemy vessel. Tsukune looked back to the light, and as flares went up to illuminate the field of battle he got his first view of the _Rosario_.

The enemy ship was not as large and powerful as the _Masamune_, but it was undeniably more graceful. There was a certain aesthetic charm to its Gothic appearance, though in the light of the flares its dark woodwork and black sails were a sinister sight to behold. Sure enough, the _Rosario_ boasted an unusually artistic figurehead; a silver bar was fixed between the bowsprit and the prow of the ship, and another crossed it horizontally in a way that gave it the appearance of a religious icon. It was from the point where the two bars crossed that the ominous red glow came - a ruby-red hemisphere of glass was set into the steel, but within it blazed a flickering light too bright and fierce to be contained by a lantern. Despite the intensity of the glow, there was a splinter of shadow at its centre, giving the sinister lamp the look of a demonic eye, unblinking and all-seeing in the darkness.

There was a figure standing atop the bowsprit. An elegant, powerful figure, perfectly balanced and utterly unfazed by the dangers standing such a vulnerable position exposed it to.

"Starboard guns, prepare for a volley!" bellowed Hideki. "Fire when the bastards come alongside us! Helm, adjust course and keep them at arm's length!"

_Whatever you do, keep your distance. A hammering from her ship's cannons are nothing compared to the hell you will face if any of her nakama get aboard your ship._

Tsukune was glad that Hideki had not chosen to take the fight to the enemy by ordering the helmsman to bring the ship as close to the _Rosario_ as possible, so that her hands could board the enemy ship and fight its crew in close combat. He recalled Hideki's account of his capture by the golden-haired vampire with the pretty smile, and attributed this wise maneuver to the Chief Mate's caution when dealing with ships potentially crewed by monsters. They would be safe as long as they stayed clear of the enemy ship, so boarders could not use grapples or leap onto the _Masamune's _deck. Admittedly, Aono Tsukune knew very few facts about monsters, but even he knew that vampires could not fly.

He was about to be proven very, very wrong on that count.

As the _Rosario_ drew closer, the _Masamune_ turned slightly to bring her starboard-facing cannons to bear. Tsukune had studied enough naval maneuvers to know what would happen next; the two ships would pass each other, firing their broadside cannons to inflict as much damage as possible, and then they would turn and repeat the process if Captain Kitano decided to continue the fight. It would make sense to do so; if the _Masamune_ did not turn and continued sailing forward, the _Rosario_ would turn and pursue them. Judging from the opening salvo of the battle, the _Rosario_ was armed with fore-mounted cannons, which would enable it to fire forward as it chased the _Masamune_, shooting the bigger ship in the back as it fled.

To prevent that from happening, they would have to either destroy the _Rosario_ in a prolonged battle, or at least damage her enough to ensure that she could not pursue them.

"Open fire!" roared Hideki from below.

The _Masamune's_ starboard-side cannons fired, an overlapping series of concussive blasts that became a thunderous din of explosive discharge. Tsukune had read about the _Masamune's_ prowess in battle, and knew that lesser ships had been crippled after a single broadside from her arsenal of artillery. The _Rosario_, however, weathered the punishing bombardment, moving alongside the _Masamune_ to aim her own deadly flank at the larger ship. Tsukune's eyes widened. Within a minute of being granted leave to fire, nearly every gun in the starboard half of the _Masamune's_ gunnery deck had fired, yet the hull of the _Rosario _was virtually unscathed. There were only one or two wounds in her flank where cannonballs had penetrated. How was that possible? At this range, and with such calm weather conditions, there was no way the gun crews could have missed their target.

And then Tsukune saw it. A pulse of violet light, as bright as a fork of lightning, flashed for a brief moment as a cannonball from one of the _Masamune's_ guns came within a few meters of the _Rosario's_ hull. The cannonball was moving so fast Tsukune only saw it when a bolt of ethereal light struck it, holding it in the air for a second before shattering it like glass. He blinked, shocked. The _Rosario_ was being protected by some sort of intangible shield, a magical barrier that could render close-range cannon fire harmless.

"Witchcraft!" spat Yamasuke, clearly noticing it as well.

Tsukune was about to reply, but before he could say anything the _Rosario_ fired a catapult at them. It was not until the device fired that Tsukune noticed it on the other ship's deck, crewed by a pair of figures too distant to see properly, but the distinctive clatter of the catapult drew his attention. Its payload hurtled through the night towards the _Masamune_, high above the deadly exchange of cannon fire, high enough to soar over the gunwale and land with a distant thump onto the deck of the _Masamune_.

It was laughing gleefully, a curiously feminine sound, high with excitement and adreniline.

"Did you see that?" asked Yamasuke, leaning over the railing of the crow's nest to look down on the deck. "It's... it's a girl! A girl with a hammer! They shot a girl at us!"

Tsukune moved to join him, but as he did so a tremendous impact shook the mast. His last sight of Warrant Officer Yamasuke was of the man's legs as he flipped over the railing and fell from the nest. Tsukune cried out, dismayed, before another jarring impact threw him against the railing. He dropped his service pistol as he held on for dear life, his heart pounding in his chest as he felt the crow's nest tilting to starboard. No, not just the crow's nest. The entire mast was falling to the side. Had it been struck by a cannonball? Tsukune dismissed the thought immediately. What were the odds of two shots hitting the mast in such quick succession?

_Or three_?

There was a longer period of respite between the second and third impact, but nevertheless the third strike was the straw that broke the mule's back. Whatever structural integrity the mast retained was robbed as its lower section was struck again, and with a deep, creaking groan like a falling tree, the central mast of the _Masamune_ twisted and toppled to the side. The hooks pinning the port-side rigging to the crow's nest were yanked from their fixtures as the mast fell to starboard. Clinging to the rail of the crow's nest, Aono Tsukune gave a wordless yell of terror. This was it. This was the end. He would never see his family again. He was going to die. Never again would he see his mother's kind smile, hear his father's laugh, or feel Kyouko's rib-crushing embrace. He would never -

The mast shuddered and stopped falling.

Tsukune's attention was wrenched back to reality. Above him, the apex of the mast had caught in the rigging of the _Rosario_. The weight of it had compromised the rope it had fallen against, but its terminal fall was broken. Tsukune had mere heartbeats to act on the miraculous accident, letting go of the railing he had been clinging to and throwing himself towards a cable suspended between two of the _Rosario's_ own masts. It was not a leap he could have made under normal circumstances, but his desperation lent him a primal might fueled by his instinct to live. He caught the rope in one hand at the same moment the tortured rigging snapped, and the _Masamune's_ mast fell with a great splash into the dark water between the two ships.

Tsukune grimaced. He had leaped from the jaws of doom without considering what he would do next, and the meager diet he had been living on recently had robbed him of the strength he needed to climb down from this treacherous position. Even as he lifted his other hand to grab on to the cable, Tsukune felt his grip loosen. The rope was burning his fingers as they slipped, centimeter by centimeter, and his shoulder ached from the strain of holding up the weight of his body. He cursed through clenched teeth and reached for the cable, but his strength failed as the _Rosario_ rocked under a punishing bombardment from the _Masamune's_ guns.

Tsukune fell.

* * *

The generator was overheating. Even without knowing how the machine functioned or what each part of it was for, Akashiya Moka knew that it was dangerously close to failing.

That would have been bad, even if it had been a simple human-made machine, but the construct in question was a unique prototype developed by Sendo Yukari, and the young witch was powering the device with her own youki (***1**). A lock-like recess was set into the main body of the generator, designed to accommodate Yukari's wand, which acted like a conduit for her to channel her power into the machine, which then amplified it and projected it around the _Rosario's_ hull to protect the ship from incoming fire. Moka was worried about the consequences of the generator's failure. If it didn't explode and put a sudden and fiery end to both of them, the amplified youki it was producing would likely backfire and surge into Yukari's tiny body.

Over the racket of the generator's mechanisms, Moka could hear the battle raging outside. A cacophony of multiple cannons firing, the resulting explosions and the raised voices of the _Rosario's_ crew resonated through the confines of the ship, and Moka wanted to cover her ears until it was all over. She hated battles. They were loud, scary affairs which led to people getting hurt, usually the people foolish enough to stand up to the Red Eye pirates, but occasionally some of the Red Eyes themselves. Moka was especially worried about her younger sister, Kokoa. Whether they fought their enemies up close or at range, Kokoa would always be at the thick of the fighting, often separated from her nakama and surrounded by enemies. That was exactly how she liked to fight, but Moka still feared for her.

From the sounds of things, the _Rosario_ had not managed to get close enough for her hands to invade the enemy ship. That meant that Kokoa would have insisted on being flung across to the other ship to take the fight to its crew. Alone...

Yukari gasped. She was sweating profusely, exerting a great deal of energy into shielding the ship with her experimental device, and not for the first time Moka found herself admiring the witch's incredible willpower and determination to make each of her creations a success. But even Yukari had limits. Eventually, she turned her wrist and rotated her wand in the recess. When the device at the tip of the wand had been turned to a specific angle, the generator began to power down, and Yukari withdrew her wand from the recess. A moment later, she fell, too weak to remain standing.

Moka was ready for that. She may not have been a fighter, but she excelled at looking out for others.

"Yukari-chan!" she cried.

As she caught Yukari in her arms, the young witch blinked up at her. "I did... what I could, but... still fighting, desu?"

"Yes, we are," answered Moka. Already, she could feel the _Rosario_ shuddering as enemy cannon fire punched into its unshielded hull. "We're still fighting, but you did really well! You were incredible!"

Yukari smiled. The compliment might have made her blush had her exhaustion not drained the colour from her face. "I'm okay... just need to... rest, desu. Is there... water?"

"No, but I'll go and get you some. I'll be as quick as I can, okay?"

After making Yukari comfortable in a convenient chair, Moka left the room where the generator had been installed and made her way through the interior of the _Rosario_. She was approaching the galley when she felt the ship lurch to the side, as if the hand of a sea god had reached up from the depths and flicked its flank. Close to the main deck, she could hear the ship straining as if it was struggling to support a great weight. Despite her twin's command that she remain below deck whenever the _Rosario_ went into battle, Moka hurried along the corridor and climbed up the steps leading onto the deck, just as the ship was released from whatever burden it had briefly shouldered and rocked in the wake of a huge splash in the sea.

She saw the man fall.

The fall could not have been more than a few feet, and was softened by the padded bulk of a folded canvas laid on top one of the tall rectangular crates that had not been cleared from the main deck, but the man landed hard and tumbled over the edge of the crate. He lay on his front on the deck, still and unmoving, and for several moments Moka thought that he had died. It was a relief when he shifted slightly and tried to rise, his face briefly visible as a mask of pain before he slumped back down.

Moka knew at once that he was from the enemy ship. She did not know how he made it across onto the _Rosario_, but here he was, injured and alone. The rest of the crew had not noticed him, distracted by the more urgent matter of battling the Navy warship off to starboard. Moka hesitated. Yukari was waiting for her to bring water, but there was someone right in front of her who needed help. If she left the man lying on the deck like that in the middle of a battle, either he would die from his wounds or a stray shot would end him. Enemy or not, the guilt of leaving him to such a fate would be a dark burden on Moka's conscience, and with a silent apology to her sister she climbed out of the hatch and hurried over to where the man lay.

_Don't die_, she willed, mostly to the stranger, but partly to herself. It was scary up here when her nakama were fighting.

The stranger struggled to rise again. He managed to lift himself onto all fours, and was beginning to straighten up when Moka reached him and gently forced him back down. She was worried that unnecessary movement would aggravate his injuries, and if he was standing upright then he would only present a larger target and would increase his odds of being hit by incoming fire or flying debris. Moka propped him up against the nearby crate, and was beginning a rudimentary medical assessment when she detected the most tantalizing scent, a sensation that aroused her vampiric instincts and awakened a great thirst that no amount of water or wine could quench.

Blood was leaking from the stranger's nose, trickling down over his top lip and dripping onto his shirt. He must have hit it against the deck. The blood smelled so strong and enticing, and even in the low light of the deck lamps Moka could appreciate its rich scarlet hue. She fought the urge to lick it from his face, refusing to embarrass herself by acting like an animal, and busied herself by looking for something she could use to wipe away the blood. She had a clean handkerchief in her pocket. That would do just fine. Moka pulled it out and folded it, but the moment she returned her attention to the blood, the temptation to sample it overwhelmed her.

"I always loose control whenever I smell that scent," she admitted quietly to the stranger, who was staring at her with wide eyes. "I'm sorry... it's because..."

* * *

"..._ I'm a vampire_."

The revelation clarified three things for Aono Tsukune. One, he was not dead. Two, he was not being greeted to the afterlife by an angel. Three, said angelic being was _not_ leaning in to kiss him.

The pink-haired girl's confession took a few moments to sink in (Tsukune's cognitive functions had been dulled by the trauma he had endured over the last ten minutes, but even under normal circumstances he was far from the brightest of people) and by the time he realized what was happening, the girl was muzzling against his neck, teeth bared. He felt two sharp nips as fangs punctured a blood vessel, but the pain was swiftly replaced with the soft warmth of lips and a gentle but firm suction as the girl began to suck his blood.

She was sucking his blood!

Instinct and common sense dictated that Tsukune should defend himself and repel this pink-haired leech, but even if he could muster the strength to push her off, he doubted he would. Her actions were tender, without malicious or predatory motive, and there was something intimately delightful about the way she held him as she gently suckled on his neck. Her hair smelled nice too, like sweet herbs and flowers. This was simultaneously the most bizarre and exciting sensation Aono Tsukune had ever experienced.

The girl must have sensed his awkward reaction, or had her fill of his vital fluids, for she pulled away quickly and held him at arm's length, her cheeks colouring slightly. She seemed timid and anxious, unable to meet his eyes, behaviour that did not quite match Tsukune's preconception of vampires. From what he knew of them, vampires were cruel, haughty creatures whose arrogance was exceeded only by their lust for blood and passion for violence. Their strength was superhuman, demonic even. They were truly the most fearsome creatures to sail forth from the uncharted Sea Below the Dark Horizon, yet none of these attributes seemed to apply to this girl. In the light of the fire blazing aboard the ship off to starboard, Tsukune beheld a gentle young woman, beautiful and radiant, sheepishly waiting for a reprimand for doing something she was not allowed to.

"You... you sucked my blood," mumbled Tsukune. It was more a statement of fact than an accusation, but the girl bowed her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted. "I shouldn't have done that! It's just that I can't help myself when I smell blood, and yours smelled so tasty..."

Tsukune raised a hand to the perforations on his neck to stop the bleeding, but there was not a speck of blood on his palm when he moved it away. The sting of the girl's bite had completely subsided too. The rest of his body, however, still felt as if it had been subjected to a severe beating with shinai. One of his nostrils was blocked with dried blood and his head was spinning, though whether the latter ailment was a result of his fall from the rigging or the unexpected siphoning of his blood, Tsukune was unsure. The sounds of battle were fading. As the ship moved away from its foe, its guns had fallen silent, and deck lamps were being lit now that stealth and theatrics were no longer necessary. Voices called out to one another; inquiries about the welfare of the crew and condition of the ship, banter between crewmen, calls for celebratory ale, and general boasts that the Red Eye pirates were unbeatable.

_The Red Eye pirates?_

Tsukune's blood ran cold as he remembered that he was on the wrong ship.

"Hoi, Moka, what are you doin' over there?" asked a voice, accompanied by approaching footsteps. "The captain always says you've gotta stay below deck during fights. You ain't supposed to come up until the noise has stopped, so... crap! Hey! We've been boarded! One of the Navy lapdogs is on our boat!"

"Wait!" cried the pink-haired girl, placing herself between Tsukune and the old flintlock rifle being aimed at him by a heavily-tattooed woman. "He's hurt! He didn't come here to fight!"

"My ass he didn't," said another voice. It was a male this time, tall and dark-skinned, clad in dark furs and carrying a crossbow. "The Navy have been on our tail since Kogashima. This guy came for the captain's head, sure as sure. Pretty gutsy of him to come alone, but humans will do crazy stuff for good money."

"Come away from there, Moka," said the woman. "You don't have to look. I'll even wait until you're below deck if you'd rather not be around."

"No!" insisted the girl. "We can't kill him!"

"Sure we can. The question is, why shouldn't we?" asked the man.

"I'm sure the captain would have something to say on the matter," said a third voice. The tattooed woman balked and lowered her rifle.

The man raised an eyebrow, looking at someone outside Tsukune's field of vision. "Is a stray dog worthy of the captain's attention, Ruby?"

"It is not my place to decide that, nor is it yours to decide his fate on your own, Loki. Bring him to the captain."

The pink-haired girl had shielded Tsukune from her shipmates' weapons, but she did not stop them from grabbing him roughly and hauling him to his feet. Pain seared through his bruised body, and his captors ignored his tormented groan as they dragged him by the arms to the _Rosario's_ foredeck. They dumped him unceremoniously on the deck at the bow of the ship, and as Tsukune rose stiffly onto his hands and knees he became aware of other members of the ship's crew gathering, forming a half-circle behind him like spectators. In front of him stood a pale young woman in a white corset and black skirt, regarding Tsukune with deep amber eyes. A crow cawed at him from its perch on her bare shoulder.

Behind her, standing atop the base of the _Rosario's_ bowsprit, was the Red-eyed Queen.

There could be no doubt that the silver-haired beauty was the Red-eyed Queen; her irises gleamed in the lamp light like perfectly-polished rubies, each with a sharp slit of darkness for a pupil. Tsukune quailed under their stern gaze as the pirate captain studied him. Her red eyes seemed to bore into his soul, reading every aspect of Aono Tsukune's character and taking note of every minute detail of his appearance in a cold, calculating stare. Tsukune's mouth went dry, and he tried not to meet the captain's gaze. Her choice of clothing gave her a tomboyish appearance, but her sculpted facial features and curvacious figure were undoubtedly female. The Red-eyed Queen held herself in a manner that spoke of great confidence in herself, her posture straight and imposing, and despite the rising wind and turbulence of the waves, her balance on the ledge did not waver.

"Who are you?" she asked. Her voice was powerful and authoritative, so much so that Tsukune was compelled to respond.

"I-I'm Aono Tsukune," he gasped.

"And what are you doing on my ship, Aono Tsukune?"

"I fell."

The silver-haired beauty raised an eyebrow. "You _fell_?"

"From the mast. When it was knocked down," elaborated Tsukune.

"Is that so?" asked the Red-eyed Queen. The idea seemed to amuse her. "Did you fly from the crow's nest by any chance?"

"Y-yes. How did-"

"Kokoa has a habit of toppling masts, and every now and then some poor fool leaps from one and lands in a broken heap on our deck. You're the first to do so and survive. Are you truly human?"

"Yes," replied Tsukune.

"A pity. If you were an ayashi incognito, I would have considered sparing your life," said the Red-eyed Queen. "I have no time for useless humans."

The Red-eyed Queen stepped down onto the deck and strode towards him, each thump of her boots on the deck a herald of his imminent doom. Tsukune tried to rise and flee, but a strong hand slammed between his shoulder blades and knocked him onto his knees again. The Red-eyed Queen's terrifying eyes never looked away from Tsukune. His heart was racing, his stomach fluttering in apprehension, and his mind raced as he tried to devise some way of appeasing the pirate or persuading her to stay her hand. All he could think of was "I haven't done anything", but that was so childish it was more likely to provoke his antagonist further.

For the second time that night, Tsukune braced himself for death. He had always been taught that pirates were merciless and unreasonable individuals. Death was all he could expect from a monstrous pirate; a sad and lonely death far from home, and an undignified burial as his remains were cast into the sea, after the monsters had picked his bones clean of meat and sucked the marrow from them. Perhaps the Red-eyed Queen would savour a glass of his blood like wine. Maybe she would keep his skull or his heart as a macabre trophy to remember him by. Tsukune wondered how the World Navy would explain this miserable fate to his family. Would they lie and say he gave his life bravely in defense of the _Masamune_ when the warship came under fire? Or would they tell the truth, and simply inform his parents and cousin that an unfortunate accident saw him separated from his shipmates and devoured by youkai?

The Red-eyed Queen's hand fell to the hilt of the rapier at her hip, her fingers curling around the handle in a manner that indicated her intention to draw it. This simple gesture, however, reminded Tsukune of one very important fact, one that could change his death from a pitiful execution to a doom worthy of remembrance.

He had a sword too.

Tsukune closed his eyes, mustering what little stamina he had left as he tried to recall everything Lieutenant Matsuo had taught him about Iaijutsu. He shifted, moving from a kneeling position into a crouched stance. He opened his eyes. His foe was in front of him, easily within striking range. His left hand gripped the sheath at his side while his right closed around the handle of the sword. Kusanagi's blade slid free of its scabbard as Tsukune drew his weapon and, in the same swift, fluid movement, slashed at the Red-eyed Queen.

It was a good draw. Graceful, fast, executed from an ideal stance and perfectly angled to cut his foe across the abdomen. For a moment, Tsukune felt proud of the skill he had spent weeks refining aboard the _Masamune_. There was only one factor that rendered his excellent preemptive attack futile.

The Red-eyed Queen had dodged it.

* * *

Steel flashed through the air in a deadly arc, aimed for the captain's midriff. The human, though average and unimpressive to behold, evidently possessed some skill with his sword, and launched his attack with alarming speed. Ruby almost cried out a warning to her captain as she realized that the human was preparing to draw his blade, but before she could even open her mouth the deed was done. The katana was a graceful weapon, its curved blade ideal for drawing swiftly, and it cut through the air with an elegant _whip _as the human made his desperate move and tried to disembowel the captain. It was a very brave yet ridiculously foolish thing to do.

A mere human could never slay Akashiya Ura.

Toujou Ruby was a witch - one of the best, to hear her nakama talk of her - but her reactions and reflexes were only marginally superior to those of a human. She could, of course, augment her senses with magic, and had been trained by her late master in the art of precognition, allowing her to foresee incoming attacks before they were made, but Ruby had not been observing the human or her captain with witch-sight. Thus she did not anticipate the human's vain attempt to kill the captain, nor did she foresee her captain's reprisal.

Akashiya Ura (***2**) saw the attack coming. Her sharp observation skills no doubt identified the human's shift in posture, noted the way his hands moved for his weapon and watched as he drew it at a fraction of the speed her own inhuman reflexes would have enabled her to do so. With all of this in mind, the captain simply had to step back as the blade slashed through the air towards her. The human only had a brief moment to realize his failure before the captain stepped forward again, moving swiftly to retaliate by kicking him in the chest. It was not a kick intended to kill or break him, yet it was powerful enough to send the human sprawling across the deck with a yelp of pain. His katana clattered to the deck at the same moment the assembled members of the crew turned and raised their weapons.

"Wait," said the captain firmly.

Ruby watched as Ura stooped to recover the human's sword. She held it aloft in one hand as she examined it, and cut the air a few times to test its weight and balance.

"This is a fine sword," she remarked, flicking the blade with a finger. The steel sang as the impact reverberated along its length. "It's nostalgic to hold one of these again. My father carries one, an heirloom of our house from the days when it was the unofficial ruling power of Nihon. Warriors armed with blades just like this drove my ancestors from the land. This sword is old... perhaps it even created for use in that war."

The human was not listening. He was rasping and wheezing, clutching his chest as he tried to regulate his erratic breathing. The captain approached him, sword in hand, and rolled him onto his back with the tip of her boot. She pointed the blade at his heart.

"You were a fool to think that you could spill my blood," declared Akashiya Ura. "A lowly man like you could never best the likes of me. Know your place."

"Ura-chan! Stop!"

The captain hesitated. Akashiya Moka was hurrying towards them, her eyes wide with fear as she ran across the foredeck to join them.

"Moka," murmured the captain softly. "Ruby claimed that it was you who found this man in the middle of the battle. Why were you on the main deck at such a time?"

"I'm sorry. Yukari-chan needed water, but when I went to get her some the ship was hit by something really big, and I wanted to see what was happening," said Moka. She knelt down beside the human and took him in her arms, undaunted by her sister's hard stare. "Yukari-chan is asleep now. I think she needs medicine."

The captain glanced at Cass and nodded, and the older girl acknowledged the silent instruction with a nod of her own before leaving the gathering to attend to Yukari. Ruby made a mental note to visit her fellow witch as soon as possible, but in the meantime the situation at hand demanded her attention. The captain was no longer pointing the katana at the human, but the way she held it in her hand promised a swift reaction if he made any sudden movements. Not that he was likely to do so in his condition.

"Please don't kill him," said Moka, imploring her sister with her eyes as much as words. "It isn't right."

"You just missed an amusing attempt on my life. As feeble as it was, this man still intended to kill me. Why should I spare him?"

"It isn't right," repeated Moka. "I feel... I don't know. I just get this feeling that this man is really a kind person, and I don't want to see him die."

Although the captain's expression remained stern, Ruby had known her long enough to recognise the conflicted look in her fearsome eyes. Akashiya Ura treasured her sisters more than any of her nakama, a fact that none of the crew resented, and she particularly doted on her twin, the gentle and honest Moka. Hers was the only voice that was guaranteed to dissuade Ura from any course of action, but there were times when Moka's whims and personal feelings were not enough to reasonably justify a change of heart. This was one of those times, Ruby knew. The human had insulted Ura by drawing a weapon on her, and now her pride was at stake. Ura was thinking hard to find a valid reason to comply with her sister's wish, but honest man or not, the human had still attacked her.

Ruby studied the human for a moment before speaking up.

"This man wears the coat and rank pins of a Navy officer," she said. "If we keep him alive as a hostage, we could ransom him to the Navy."

Ura turned, her eyebrow raised. "Ransom?"

"Officers are worth more than a few coins. I say we extort some cash from the Navy and hit the Marin Inn," suggested Loki.

There was a general chorus of agreement from the crew. The Red Eye pirates had been deliberately keeping a low profile since their flight from Kogashima, which meant that the_ Rosario's_ coffers were far lighter than they were while the crew was actively engaged in acts of piracy, and what little money they had was reserved for keeping the ship well-supplied. It had been a long time since the crew had disposable income to invest in luxuries. The idea of exchanging one life for a neat sum of money clearly appealed to the assembled shipmates. The captain turned back to her sister and the stricken human in her arms. The man was almost unconscious.

"Relieve him of everything but his clothes and lock him in the cargo hold," the captain commanded. "Tell Cass to treat his injuries after she has seen to Yukari. We don't want to give the Navy an excuse to offer a miserly price for damaged goods."

Two of the shipmates came forward to drag the human away. Moka followed, and the rest of the crew dispersed and went back to their duties. The captain turned and moved back to the bow of the ship to climb back into her favourite position. Ruby joined her, leaning back against the gunwale as her familiar took flight and flew off into the night.

"Thank you, Ruby," said the captain. She did not need to elaborate; Ruby knew what she meant.

"I'm glad to be of service," she replied. She turned her gaze to the sky behind the ship, where the dark clouds were tinted orange by the light of flames. "That was not the ship that has been chasing us since Kogashima. That was a capital ship from the Nihon Division of the Navy. Do you think they have mobilised more ships to hunt us?"

The captain shrugged. "I wouldn't rule it out. When our captive has recovered from tonight's ordeal, we can question him further on the matter. In the meantime, we need to consider the consquences of that skirmish. I want a full report from Yukari after she has rested. Her experimental device appears to have worked for the most part, but the _Rosario_ still took hits, which means that there are still teething problems. I also want a full assessment of the damage to the ship's hull."

"I'll get right on it," promised Ruby, leaving her captain to check on Yukari. As she crossed the main deck, she heard the sound of wings overhead; not the light flutter of her familiar's feather pinions, but the powerful beat of leathery wings as Kurono Kurumu descended from the night sky. The succubus' natural aerial agility and skill at distracting enemies with illusions often landed her the risky task of extracting Kokoa from enemy vessels if the young vampire had indulged in a one-man boarding action. Kurumu carried Kokoa under the arms, and carefully set the vampire down on the deck before retracting her wings and dropping lightly onto her feet.

"I'm glad to see you're both back safely," Ruby told the pair with a smile.

"There was hardly anyone left standing by the time I arrived. Kokoa-chan had dealt with all the stragglers," said Kurumu.

Kokoa reached up to the leather choker around her neck and snapped off the silver rosary connected to it. Violet energy sparked from the broken links of the collar as Kokoa brandished the rosary at Ruby.

"This stupid thing didn't work," she complained. "Every time I got shot I felt like I was being punched, and even though I wore it the whole time I was fighting some old geezer with one eye put a round in my shoulder. Look!"

Sure enough, the left shoulder and breast of Kokoa's shirt were stained red with blood, oozing from an open wound where a bullet had penetrated her flesh.

Ruby shook her head. "Yukari-chan warned you, Kokoa-san. That rosary's repulsion field only robs incoming projectiles of lethal force, but a percentage of their kinetic force will still travel through the field and hit you. It probably failed to protect you because it was overwhelmed by the volume of incoming fire."

Kokoa stalked away in the direction of the foredeck and her sister. "Whatever. At least I made sure that ship can't follow us anytime soon. Let's go, Ko-chan."

Ruby watched the vampire and her peculiar pet go, wondering why she had not sought medical treatment for her bullet wound first before reporting to her sister. Ruby suspected that Kokoa liked showing the captain her wounds, for they were proof of her prowess in battle, and the only thing Shuzen Kokoa craved more than a challenging fight was her older sister's approval. Kurumu joined Ruby as the witch made her way below deck to see Yukari, but they went their separate ways when Kurumu went into the galley for some food to replenish her energy. Yukari shared a cabin with Ruby near the captain's quarters, and was asleep in her hammock when Ruby arrived. Cass, an ayashi who had been studying in the Americas to become a doctor prior to her arrest and enslavement, was examining Yukari.

"Physically, she's fine," explained Cass. "She's severely exhausted, but given the amount of youki she expended to protect the ship during the battle, that's to be expected. A few days in bed, maybe a week, and she'll be back to full strength."

Ruby nodded. She had expected as much. Yukari was snoring lightly, her expression peaceful despite the dark circles around her eyes and the paleness of her flesh.

"The captain spared the human, with the intention of ransoming him to the authorities," Ruby told the medic. "She wants you tend to his wounds and nurse him back to health. Kokoa-san was injured during the battle too. I'll take care of Yukari-chan while you see to them."

Cass nodded and gathered up her tools, then excused herself while Ruby took her place in the wooden seat between her hammock and Yukari's. She took the younger witch's hand in her own and closed her eyes, allowing her youki to flow through the physical connection of their hands and into Yukari's body. There was no real need for her to share her energy with Yukari, but Ruby had a soft spot for her fellow witch, and her master had always done this when Rubi had felt unwell or weary.

Yukari stirred. "Moka-san?"

"It's me," replied Ruby softly. "Moka-san is busy. She's making our guest comfortable."

* * *

It was mid-morning when Aono Tsukune awoke, though he was only able to guess this from the light flooding into the cargo bay through a number of portholes along two walls, for someone had taken his pocket watch.

They had also taken Kusanagi, his belt, his multi-tool and the leather-bound journal he kept in the inner breast pocket of his jacket. While he had been unconscious, Tsukune had been confined to a cage in the ship's cargo hold, a large cube of iron bars bolted to the floor, furnished only with a heap of old blankets that served as both a bed and a seat. Someone had also removed the clothing covering his torso and applied some sort of sweet-smelling salve to his body, which Tsukune suspected was medicine to heal his bruises and sooth his aching muscles. He was not sure why his monstrous captors were healing him rather than seasoning him, but he was grateful for their ministrations.

He was alone when he awoke, but after what might have been thirty minutes of quiet contemplation, a familiar pink-haired angel appeared with a tray of food.

"Good morning!" she said brightly. Tsukune dredged up her name from his memory. Moka. Her name was Moka. "You missed breakfast, but I saved some food and kept it warm for you. Are you hungry?"

"Yes," replied Tsukune at once. He was famished, and though the meal had likely been prepared by monsters, the aroma of food made his mouth water.

"I'm glad. Here, I brought you something to eat. I hope you like it!"

The pink-haired girl set the tray down on the wooden floor and slid it under a low iron flap by the door, and Tsukune pounced on it immediately. The tray was laden with toasted bread, slices of cooked pork, fried eggs, a generous portion of rice, a bowl of soup and a stein full of freshly-squeezed orange juice. Excluding the girl serving it, the meal was the most beautiful thing Tsukune had seen in months, and despite the speed at which he consumed the food he savored every bite. Moka found a chair and brought it over to the cage while Tsukune ate, and she made herself comfortable on the other side of the bars.

"Do you always give your prisoners food this good?" asked Tsukune between mouthfuls.

"We don't have hostages very often," admitted Moka. "Ura-chan prefers to save captives rather than take them."

"Ura-chan?"

"My sister. She's the captain of this ship."

Tsukune nearly choked on the delicious soup he was greedily gulping down. This angel was related to the Red-eyed Queen? He tore his attention from his food to look at the girl, and he could see more of her in the light of day than he could in the firelight the previous evening. She was truly beautiful, with long pink hair that fell to her slim waist and eyes as bright and green as the finest of emeralds. Tsukune now saw the physical resemblance between her and the notorious pirate, but their aspects could not have been more different. The Red-eyed Queen was fearsome and cold, while Moka was sweet and cheerful. Her smile was one of genuine happiness, as if she actually enjoyed talking to him.

They conversed while Tsukune ate, and for a long time after he had picked the last of the scraps from his plate. Moka asked about Tsukune's career in the Navy and his experiences aboard the _Masamune_, and Tsukune told her of the _Masamune's_ mission in the Veerok Archipelago. She seemed surprised; apparently the _Rosario_ had attacked the _Masamune_ under the impression that it was one of the Navy vessels that had been pursuing them since they had fled from Kogashima. Tsukune confessed that he had never heard of the Red Eye pirates until his unexpected rendevous with sailors from the _Togusa_ on the oddly-named island near the equator.

"We were called the Red Moon pirates when we first set out, seven years ago," said Moka. "People started calling us the Red Eye pirates because of Ura-chan's eyes, and because of the witch-fire burning inside the decoration on the ship's figurehead. The press used to call Ura-chan the _Red-eyed Menace_, but now that she's older and more lady-like, they call her the Red-eyed Queen."

The conversation inevitably led to discussion about vampires. Moka refuted many of the things Tsukune had assumed to be facts about vampires; holy scripture and religious iconography was harmless to them, they were not allergic to garlic, sunlight did not turn them to ash or inflict great agony on them (though apparently Moka tanned very easily), they did not sleep in crypts or coffins, and people who were bitten by vampires did not become them. Vampires were, however, very vulnerable to water, which had strong purification properties and disrupted the supernatural power of any vampire that came into contact with it.

"Then why sail out on the open sea?" asked Tsukune. "If contact with water is so debilitating, why do some vampires become pirates?"

Moka scratched her cheek. "I'm not sure. Some sail to prove that they do not fear the sea. Others just prefer the nomadic lifestyle. All vampires cross the ocean at some point, though. Our kind were one of the first ayashi races to explore beyond the Sea Below the Dark Horizon and settle on continents occupied by humans, so no matter which country we individually belong to, our ancestors all came from the same place."

"But you're still surrounded by thousands of miles of deep water. Isn't that dangerous?"

"Over the ages, we vampires have found ways to protect ourselves from water," replied Moka. She pulled back her left sleeve to show Tsukune an intricate bronze bracelet set with silver studs. "Most of us wear items like these. When I have this on, I can feel raindrops or be splashed by a little water without becoming paralyzed, but it won't protect me if I get completely soaked or submerged. Yukari-chan is trying to make an enhanced model that will overcome those obstacles, but I think it will take her a long time to perfect something like that. Then again, Yukari-chan is very clever, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see!"

Moka's ability to speak Nihonese, and her use of honorifics when talking about certain people, led Tsukune to inquire about her origins. Moka and her sisters hailed from a region in the Sea Below the Dark Horizon where many ayashi had settled after being driven out of Nihon several centuries ago. Despite their bloody expulsion, these monsters still maintained many of the customs they had adopted during the time they dwelt in Nihon, so Moka and her sisters had been raised to speak the language of their forebears. She was also fluent in Britannian, one of the most common languages in the world (***3**), and knew a handful of phrases in Francais. Tsukune could speak Britannian too, as it was a mandatory study for all officers in the World Navy, but when the two displayed their linguistic skills Tsukune felt embarrassed by the quality of his accent compared to Moka's.

At noon, a girl with blue hair slipped into the hold to fetch Moka and bring her to the galley for lunch, and the vampire cheerfully promised to return with more food. Tsukune wasn't sure which he would be more eager to see.

* * *

For the first few days of his captivity, Moka was the only person Tsukune had prolonged contact with. She would keep him company for hours at a time, bringing him meals and loitering to chat with him while he ate, and Tsukune was surprised to find how easily he was able to talk to the girl. There had been female students at the Kyota Naval Academy, but strict regulations had prevented any form of romance from taking root. Not that any of the girls had shown the slightest interest in Tsukune; even without Yoshida constantly outshining him, Tsukune had no alluring qualities and had never been one to stand out in a crowd. His annual reports described him as "quiet and thoughtful" or as a "back-bench contributor".

Instructor Shiki had been more blunt and openly shared his opinion that Tsukune would be the first in the pot if his crew was ever driven to cannibalism.

On the fourth day, Tsukune awoke to find the young woman in the white corset occupying the chair Moka had taken to sitting in during their lengthy conversations. His breakfast, as filling and hearty as the three before it, had already been pushed into his cage, and Tsukune picked at his food while the woman observed him with her amber eyes. There was no crow with her this time, but an arcane staff lay across her lap. The woman introduced herself as Toujou Ruby, and promptly began asking questions about Tsukune and the _Masamune_. Her line of questioning confirmed Moka's earlier statement that the captain of the _Rosario_ had ordered the attack on the _Masamune_ on the assumption that the warship was hunting them. Tsukune assured her that this was not the case, and that the warship was destined for Veerok. She asked Tsukune what he knew about the "Star of Magnus", and almost seemed relieved by his bewildered response to the question.

Eventually, the woman called Ruby rose from her chair and thanked Tsukune for his honesty.

"Would you have resorted to torture if I hadn't told the truth?" asked Tsukune.

Ruby's cheeks turned pink. "Oh, I couldn't possibly let you do something so exciting when we've only just met," she replied bashfully.

"... Pardon?"

After Toujou Ruby took her leave, Tsukune was left alone until Moka appeared at noon with food. She brought her own lunch down to the hold so that they could eat together, but while they ate Tsukune noticed that she seemed less cheerful, as if something was weighing on her mind.

"Is there something wrong, Moka-san?" he asked.

"I'm fine," insisted Moka with a brilliant smile. "I'm just happy that I'm allowed to spend time with you."

"Are you sure? If there's something bothering you, I'd like to help. I can't do much while I'm stuck in here, but I'll do what I can."

Moka was silent for a minute or two as she picked at her food thoughtfully. Eventually, she found the words to voice her unease."I really like you, Tsukune."

"And I really like you too, Moka-san. But... why? Why do you like me? I'm an officer in the Navy. A bad one, since I ended up getting captured during my very first fight. And I'm human. On top of that, I'm just a worthless and mediocre guy who isn't -"

"Don't say things like that!" cried Moka, so suddenly and loudly Tsukune flinched. "To me, you aren't an enemy! You aren't worthless or mediocre or anything, Tsukune!"

Tsukune was taken aback by how strongly Moka's words conveyed her feelings. "Moka-san..."

"We're on blood-sucking terms!" declared Moka, smiling. "You're the first person whose body I've ever drank from, Tsukune. I'll never forget that... because your blood is more tasty than any of the transfusion packs we have aboard the ship! It's so rich and sweet, and even though you were half-starved when I drank from you, your blood was still full-bodied and delicious!"

"What am I, your food?!"

Moka giggled, but after Tsukune calmed down and her amusement wore off, the cloud over her spirit returned. "Ruby-san spoke to you this morning, right? I was there when she talked to Ura-chan about the things you had told her. They're both glad that you aren't one of the people who have been chasing us lately, but now that they know for sure you have no knowledge of the Star they want to get rid of you as soon as they can."

Tsukune's heart began to race as his imagination bombarded him with visions of exactly how a crew of youkai pirates would _get rid_ of him. He regretted his stupidity for eating the generous and filling meals they had been providing; they were not nurturing him out of pity, they were fattening him up so that they could eat him. The sweet-smelling salve that Tsukune had thought to be a form of medicine must really be some sort of marinade used by monsters to enhance the taste of human flesh, or perhaps it was supposed to relieve the tension from his muscles to soften them up, thus making them more palatable. Tsukune envisaged himself roasting on a spit, or being lowered into a boiling pot of soup, or simply stripped down and torn apart as his malicious hosts savaged him like a pack of wolves feasting on a deer. In every scenario the Red-eyed Queen observed his demise with her hands on her hips and a terrible smile on her face.

"According to our most recent charts, there's a Navy outpost on Yukala Island," Moka continued, oblivious to Tsukune's silent panic. "It's a little place to the north-east. We'll be there in a couple of days, and Ura-chan plans to contact the Navy base as soon as we arrive so that she can negotiate your ransom."

"Ransom?" echoed Tsukune. He remembered someone mentioning something about that the other day. "I'm... I'm not going to get eaten?"

Moka shook her head. "Of course not! Nobody on this ship is going to eat you."

"Is that so?" asked Tsukune with a sigh of relief.

"But Ura-chan is still angry about the time you attacked her, and she said that if the Navy isn't going to pay out, she'll kill you herself for wasting her time."

Tsukune felt the colour drain from his face.

* * *

Toujou Ruby heard her familiar long before she saw it. She was locking the door of the captain's cabin when the distant sound of cawing reached her, gradually growing closer until it was joined by the rustle of flapping wings. The crow shot around the nearest corner like a bat out of hell and circled the witch frantically, its cries wild and urgent. It was not a real crow; merely a magical construct Ruby had created using a conjuring technique she had perfected as a child, but installing an additional portion of her youki into the familiar granted it more independence and a much longer lifespan than the other crows Ruby could summon from her personal grimoire.

Real or not, Ruby fully understood the meaning behind the crow's cries.

_Ship sighted. Port side. Two miles and closing. Collision course._

Ruby hurried up onto the main deck, immediately looking to the left as she emerged from the hatch. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the bright afternoon sunlight. Sure enough, there was a vessel approaching the _Rosario_, bearing down on them with its sails full of wind. It was too far away to identify which flag it was flying, but Ruby doubted it was any of the Red Eye pirates' few allies. The outline of the approaching ship was unfamiliar and did not resemble any of the ships sailed by Ura's comrades.

Ruby pointed and sent her familiar flying with a curt instruction, and crossed the deck as quickly as she could to find Ura in her usual place on the _Rosario's_ foredeck. The vampire was staring at the unknown ship with narrow eyes. Ruby knew that the eyes of vampires were more suited to seeing in total darkness than in broad daylight, but despite the sunlight and the distance between the two ships, the captain was glaring at the strange ship like an old foe. Curious, Ruby closed her eyes and synchronized her perspective with that of her familiar, viewing the world through the eyes of the crow as it flew against the wind towards the approaching ship. Even as it drew closer Ruby failed to identify the vessel. It flew no flags or banners, its ragged sails were undecorated and its ramshackle hull bore no paintwork to name it.

There was, however, a familiar figure among the rabble of gaunt men visible on the main deck. Ruby recognised the thug's untidy blond hair, sharp features, numerous piercings and lean body, even from above. She reeled her mind back from the familiar and turned to her captain.

"It's him," she said. "It's Saizou."

"His stupidity knows no bounds, it would seem. I thought he would have learned his lesson from our last encounter," mused Akashiya Ura. She smirked. "If he is looking for another fight, I'll oblige him, but this time I will not give him the opportunity to regret this foolishness. It's past time this overconfident rogue realized his place."

* * *

**Notes**

*1 - "Youki" and "youkai" are two different things. "Youki" refers to the aura and power most ayashi possess, while "youkai" is the Japanese word for "demon" or "monster".

*2 - Inner Moka and Outer Moka are two separate people in this story. We had a lengthy debate about how to name them, but eventually agreed to call Inner Moka "Ura" while letting Outer Moka keep the name "Moka", rather than calling her "Omote".

*3 - We considered recycling the concept of the Linguistic Manipulator used in our other story to bridge any language barriers that Tsukune might encounter in this, but it would make more sense for Tsukune to learn Britannian (English) as a formal qualification necessary to become an officer in the international World Navy. Said device might make an appearance later if it is needed.

***** Summary of nautical/naval terms used: "port" refers to the left side of a ship. "Starboard" refers to the right side. "Stern" refers to the back of the ship, and "bow" refers to the front. A "bowsprit" is the pole that sticks out of the front of a ship, usually above a ship's figurehead. A ship's "foredeck" (or "forecastle") is the name given to the deck at the front of the ship. "Rigging" is the network of ropes, spars and sails used to propel sailing ships (rigging also refers to rope ladders used to climb masts).

* * *

**Celt**: Was this chapter too long? We considered splitting it again and moving the last part into Chapter 3, but decided to leave it as is because it wouldn't have made sense to end this chapter earlier than we did.

I'm happy with this so far. I wrote six thousand words of this chapter all by myself! But it was still jumbled and messy, so I got Cal to fix it up and make it pretty. We will tinker with it a little more if we need to. I think we might need to add some more conversation between Tsukune and Moka...

I really hope you have enjoyed this so far, and that you will like the rest of the story too. Please let us know what you think of our work, because Cal and I both work hard to constantly improve our writing (not that Cal really needs to) but I'm still learning so your feedback is important to me!

More coming - stay tuned! :)


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